• INFORMAL DISCUSSION - For the first 30 minutes of the Thursday night forums we will have informal discussion. This will allow for late arrivals, food & drink ordering, and new attendees to become acclimated.
• ANNOUNCEMENTS - Any events, news, or other items that you feel are of interest to the group can be announced at the start of Free Inquiry Forum.

TOPICS for Thursday (6/10/04):

1. Discuss the media coverage of Regan's death. Has the media gone overboard? Bush issued an executive order designating Friday as a federal government holiday and many U.S. financial markets said they will close this Friday to mark the death of former President Ronald Reagan. Do you think Friday should be a federal holiday? It has been suggested that Reagan should be added to Mt. Rushmore and put on our currency. Do you agree with either of those suggestions? Will this now abundant look at the history of Reagan's presidency help or hurt Bush's chance and getting reelected? How accurate are comparisons that are being made between Reagan and George W. Bush? Is it disrespectful to be critical of Reagan's presidency upon his death? How much credit does Reagan deserve for ending the Cold War? Discuss other topics of the Reagan years: Iran-Contra hearings, AIDS crisis, government spending, the "Drug War", "Star Wars", Reagan's religiosity, etc.
2. Anti-smoking activists want films with smoking in them to be given an R-rating. Most lawmakers have said they'd be satisfied if movie ratings included advisory information about smoking in films like they do for foul language, sexual content and violence. Should films that include smoking be given an R-rating? Should they include advisory information about smoking?
3. Did humans evolve to be relatively moral and cooperative within groups and relatively immoral and competitive between groups? Is trade the key to peace?
4. We continue to read and hear about political "Neoconservatives" and their relationship to "Project for the New American Century," or PNAC. What is a Neoconservative and what is PNAC, who are some prominent Neoconservatives and members of PNAC, what are their geopolitical principles and objectives, and have Neoconservatives and PNAC influenced the course of recent American history in the Middle East? Is all this talk about the PNAC conspiracy, just wild-eyed imagination by some Democrats? Is there nothing sinister about PNAC, its administration membership, their apparent influence on the Bush administration, and recent U.S. international behavior, including the war in Iraq? (Topic submitted by Jack)

Quote of the week: "Facts are stupid things." [Ronald Reagan]

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